A Once in a Lifetime Request
by BananaBabe903
Summary: Inoichi is determined to find a suitable husband for his daughter, Ino, and goes through all the boys of Konoha. Unfortunately, it's not that easy, so he begs Shikaku for a once in a lifetime request-in a hopefully win-win situation. InoXShikamaru
1. The Story Begins

Hi guys! So this is my first Naruto fanfiction, and the pairing is Shikamaru/Ino. This takes place around the beginning of Shippuden. Please enjoy! ^_^ No flames please, but constructive criticism is fine.

Disclaimer: Nope.

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_Glug, glug, glug._

"Inoichi… I know this is coming from me, but don't you suppose you've drunk enough?" Shikaku tentatively pushed the sake bottle away from his red-faced friend. "Something must be troubling you, eh?"

The blond-haired jonin sighed. "Yes, something is troubling me." He gripped his shot cup and turned to face Shikaku. "Remember the conversation we had earlier this week?"

"Earlier this week…" Shikaku thought hard, trying to remember. Suddenly, the thought came to mind. "Oh…" he said. "So _that's _what's bothering you."

"I went," Inoichi began. "To every single teenage boy throughout Konoha, and not _one _would take Ino on a date." Fast as lightning, he grabbed the sake bottle and poured himself another glass. And another. And another.

_Glug glug glug._

"Why won't anyone love my daughter?" Inoichi cried. "She's beautiful, she's thin… did you know she makes me and her mother go to the market every day just to buy vegetables? She refuses to eat anything else. I honestly don't know how she can fight when all she eats is cabbage and lotus root."

Shikaku thought about Ino. Sure, she wasn't as innocent as the other girls, like Hinata, which some boys found attractive. Sure, she wasn't bubbly and cute like Tenten. Sure, she wasn't as big-breasted as Tsunade, or as pink-haired as Sakura. Sure, she could be kind of a brat at times and swore like a sailor. And on top of that, she was terrible when it came to nagging—

He sighed, looking over his friend who was obviously in despair.

"Well, who did you go to?" Shikaku asked.

"Well…" Inoichi began, his words slurring together. "First, I went to that pretty-boy Jonin from the Hyuga Clan. What's his name again? Oh, oh… um… _Neji_."

_Glug glug glug_.

* * *

ONE WEEK AGO

One fine spring day, Ino came home screaming and nearly pulling her hair out.

"What's wrong honey?" Inoichi asked her. He didn't understand girls at all, much less the teenage variety.

"Nothing!" Ino shrieked, running to her bedroom.

Inoichi sighed. Weren't children supposed to be your pride and joy? What happened… after a certain age, they turn into little demons…

"Daaaaaaaad!" Ino's wailing came from her bedroom. "Can you get me a class of water?"

Inoichi grabbed a cup and filled it with water. Anything he could do to comfort his little princess, he would.

He knocked on her door and entered. She sat on her bed, curled up in a ball, trails of mascara on her cheeks. Inoichi handed the glass of water to her, which she sipped.

"Dad… how come no boys ever like me?" Ino looked up at him with big, teary eyes. "They all like Sakura… not even the lame ones like Lee and Choji are interested in me."

Inoichi pulled his daughter into a hug. "I guess you're at that age now, huh?"

After a few minutes of silence, Ino deadpanned, "Dad, life sucks."

Inoichi thought for a few moments and then said, "Ino sweetie, go to sleep, okay? Daddy will handle it."

And so, stepping out of the Yamanaka Household, his journey began.

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Hope u guys like it!:) please review, subscribe, and favorite!33


	2. Neji

Hi guys!:) here's the next chapter! Don't worry, the story will soon pick up with some Shikamaru/Ino action. I'll put several run-ins with the Konoha boys in the next two chapters, as well as some ShikaxIno:)

Disclaimer: Sigh. No.

* * *

"Lady Hinata… can we take a break?" were the words that Neji never thought once in his life he'd ever ask her, but here he stood before her on their practice field, sweaty and exhausted.

"I have to catch up to Naruto, _Nissan_. And this jutsu is almost perfect." Hinata began forming her hands with her new jutsu symbol when Neji heard his name being called.

"Neji! Hyuga Neji!"

Neji spun around to see Inoichi running towards him, waving his hands wildly in the air, ponytail flying behind him. For a man of his age, Inoichi had some pretty luscious locks that Neji himself was slightly jealous of. Now that Neji stared more at Inoichi's hair, he thought of his own, which was probably mangled and unkempt as he had been training.

_No_, he thought to himself_. It probably looks fine, why are you even thinking of that? What happened to you since puberty?_

"Mr. Y-Yamanaka!" Hinata spoke in that whisper=hushed voice of hers. "What brings you here?"

"Inoichi senpai," Neji greeted.

"I must discuss something urgent with Neji," Inoichi said, a sense of anxiety in his eyes.

Neji narrowed his eyes. Whatever was bothering Inoichi, it must've been important.

"Lady Hinata, let's take a break for now," Neji said. Hinata sighed and walked over to the side of their field, taking a swig of water from her water bottle.

"What's the matter senpai?" Neji asked. "Did Lady Hokage assign a new mission?"

Inoichi shook his head, and looked off to the side, rather awkwardly. "Actually, no."

Neji scrunched his eyebrows in slight confusion. "Then what is it?"

The older man cleared his throat and suddenly proclaimed, "You, Jonin Neji of the Hyuga Clan, will date my daughter Ino!" He pointed directly at Neji with a fierce look in his eyes.

"WHAT?" Neji was taken aback. "D-date your daughter?"

Inoichi nodded his head. "What do you say? She's super pretty, she's smart, she's sweet, she's-,"

_A total nutcase_, Neji thought to himself. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry, senpai, but I don't think it'd be appropriate if-,"

"Nonsense!" Inoichi slung his arm around Neji's shoulder. "You guys will look _adorable _together! What do you say, Neji? Just go one date with her, huh? If you don't like her, just stop seeing her."

Somehow, Neji didn't think it was possible.

Neji gazed into the sun, suddenly feeling very dizzy. "Wow, it's nearly noon." He faced Inoichi again, bracing himself for the worst. "I'm sorry senpai, but it's time for me to um… brush my hair. You know how important hair maintenance is." Neji kept his poker face, but on the inside he was mentally slapping himself.

_HAIR MAINTENANCE? _Did he have no better excuse?

Inoichi looked confused for a moment, then nodded his head. "I see." He thought for a second, and then sighed, "You think she's fat."

"What? No!" Neji exasperated. "I don't… I don't think Ino is fat."

"Then what could it be?" Inoichi almost pouted, which made Neji cringe. He brightened up. "I have a great idea! Let me just see into your head, so that way you won't have to tell me!"

Neji panicked and then pointed to behind Inoichi. "Wow, is that Ino coming this way? Maybe I will ask her-,"

As soon as Inoichi turned around to look, Neji cried, "Byakugan!" and knocked Inoichi unconscious.

Neji stared at the man for a while and ran his fingers through his own hair. Hinata came running over.

"Neji! Neji-nissan, what happened?" she cried, staring at Inoichi, who had collapsed in the middle of the field.

"He just said that Lady Tsunade has an um, important mission for us." He grabbed his cousin's arm and dragged her away. "With Kiba and Shino. And it's urgent. Quick, let's run to the Fifth Hokage, it's probably an emergency!"

As he was dragging her, Hinata asked, "What about Inoichi senpai?"

Neji said, "Oh I'm sure someone will come along," and continued running.

* * *

"So you just… blacked out?" Shikaku looked unconvinced at Inoichi, who was eating pistachio nuts.

"Yup. I don't remember anything. When I opened my eyes, the Hyuga boy and his cousin were gone." Inoichi had sobered up a bit, and was cracking shells with great satisfaction.

"So where'd you go to next?" Shikaku was interested now.

"Well after that, I ran back to the village and ran into that bug-obsessed boy from the Aburame Clan… the one with the glasses."

* * *

"So I guess I'll see you soon. Thanks, for coming and assisting with the mission." Shikamaru faced Temari at the gates to the Hidden Leaf Village. "We greatly appreciate the Sand help."

"Actually, I was the one who requested this mission," Temari stated.

Shikamaru scrunched his eyes. "And why is that?"

"Well, I had heard about it and thought you guys needed some help. After all, we can't have you crying again, can we?" she smirked. "You really can't do anything without me, can you?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Are you always going to bring that up?"

"Until you pay me back, of course." Temari gave him a sly smile.

"We did. When we saved your brother, the Kazekage, Gaara. That was Operation Pay-Them-Back," Shikamaru explained.

"That's... not exactly what I meant." Before Shikamaru knew it, Temari had leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Shikamaru blinked, and Temari was already walking away from him, hips swinging side to side, the giant fan across her back.

Shikamaru placed one hand to his cheek, and watched her leave the Leaf Village.

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Love triangle? WHAAT? Hehe please review, favorite, subscribe, CHYAAAAAAA~


	3. Shino and Kiba

Hi guys! I promise that the chapter after this, there'll be some more Shikamaru/Ino action coming up! I just need to set up the story hehe. Anyway, here's the chapter with Shino and Kiba!:) ENJOY!

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"S-Shino! SHINO!" Inoichi ran up to the bug-boy, who was leaning over and analyzing some dead tree bark.

The Aburame boy looked up at him. "Ahh, Mr. Yamanaka. Hello."

Inoichi tried to ignore the boy's creepiness and politely asked, "How are you?"

"Good," Shino replied. "Why? Because I found a new species of bugs that we can harvest as food for the others."

Inoichi winced. "Uh huh, cool cool. So, listen. You know my daughter, Ino, right?"

"Yes, I do. How? We served many missions together and is a very good teammate."

Was Inoichi so desperate that he would hook his daughter up with this kid? He winced. He was kind of weird, but then again, he wanted his daughter to be happy. Who knew? They might hit it off!

"Yeah, so I choose you to date her! C'mon, let's go meet her now!" Inoichi reached to grab Shino by the arm when he pulled away.

"No," the bug boy refused, "Why? Because your daughter once said that my bugs were disgusting."

Inoichi sighed. Of course, his daughter would say that. This would be harder than he had thought.

"Please, I mean, she owns a flower shop! That's the only reason. 'Cause you know, bugs kill the flowers and stuff."

"Would you like my bugs to kill your flowers?" Shino raised an eyebrow. "No, you would not. Why? Because if you had no flowers then you would go out of business which means-,"

"Oi, Shino, what are you blabbing about this time?" a boy with red paint on his cheeks casually approached them, arms stuffed in pockets.

"Hello Kiba," greeted Shino. "Where is Akamaru?"

"Eh? Oh, he's at home, he was throwing up." Kiba shuddered. "Mom insisted that I come down her and train so here I am." He turned and noticed Inoichi. "Oh, hey, you're Ino's dad, huh?"

Inoichi looked him up from head-to-toe. The boy wasn't incredibly short, nor was he tall. But had a charm about him, and a bright smile. He wasn't the most attractive, but he wasn't ugly either.

"Hi Kiba, yes I am Ino's dad. You know Ino then?" Inoichi asked.

Kiba nodded. "Yeah, she's a cool girl."

Inoichi silently screamed. _Yes finally! Is this boy going to be his Savior?_

"Well, what do you think of her?" Inoichi leaned in closer in anticipation.

"Well," Kiba began. "She's really insecure, but I don't know why. She turns all the guys' heads when she walks through the door… ummm…" he put a finger on his chin.

"She doesn't need makeup, like, the way she is is enough. And everyone else in the room can see it, everyone except for her," he concluded. "Overall, she's pretty cool."

Inoichi grabbed him by the collar. "Yes!" he cried. "Yes, Kiba, since you like her so much, how about you two date?"

The boy began laughing. "What, me and Ino? Pops, you gotta be outta your mind!"

"What?" Inoichi pulled back, slightly confused slash defeated. "But you practically said she was perfect!" _Minus, the "insecure part_", he silently noted.

"Well, to be perfectly honest, Mr. Ino's Dad, she reminds me too much of a cat."

Inoichi's jaw dropped in frustration. "A-A cat?" he sputtered.

Kiba nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, and like, we're pretty much a dog clan, y'know? So, since cats and dogs are enemies, that's like impossible. Plus…" he looked away shyly. "I like someone else."

His cheeks blushed a furious red.

"Hinata?" Shino interrupted. Oh, Inoichi forgot he was almost there.

"W-what, Shino how do you-," Kiba was cut off.

"How do I know? Well, you constantly claim Naruto as your rival, although Naruto doesn't even recognize you yet. Since he's so intent on saving Sasuke. Why? Because-,"

"Yeah, yeah, Shino I get it," Kiba muttered. He faced Inoichi again. "B'sides, speaking of Sasuke, isn't Ino in love with him? I mean, granted she prob'ly can't love someone else if she's in love with-,"

"WHAT?" Inoichi cried. "Ino's in love with Sasuke? The international, rogue criminal Uchiha boy?"

Kiba and Shino withdrew in fear. The Yamanaka man was practically screaming in their faces.

"Uhh, hey, Shino, look at the time. Looks like we gotta get back, gotta, y'know, make sure Akamaru is okay. Nice seeing you Yamanka pops! Bye!" Kiba dashed off, dragging Shino with him.

"You are running really fast, Kiba," Inoichi heard Shino say. "Why? Because-,"

"Oh shut up!"


	4. Dresses

As promised, here is some Shikamaru/Ino action!:) Hehe kind of inappropriate... anyway, please enjoy!

* * *

"The response from the other boys were no different," Inoichi sighed. "The Jinchuriki boy was eating ramyun with the boy in the green tights. And I figured Ino wasn't desperate to date either of them, but when I brought up the topic, the Jinchuriki stated that he was in love with someone else, and the boy in the green tights just began sobbing and ranting about 'youth' and his 'Gai sensei'."

Shikaku patted his friend on the back. "Did you try talking to Chouza? Maybe Chouji-," Inoichi cut him off with a glare.

"On top of that, I can't believe she's in love with the Uchiha boy!" cried Inoichi. "I mean… I mean really. I get all the girls liked him before, but now he's a rogue criminal!"

"Hmm," Shikaku sipped his drink. "Girls her age _do _tend to gravitate towards the bad boys."

"Is that how you landed Yoshino?" Inoichi deadpanned.

After a few moments of silence, Shikaku said, "Well, honestly, Inoichi, I have no idea what you should-,"

"You're the Hidden Leaf's greatest strategist-," began Inoichi. "—and you can't even come up with a strategy for my daughter to find a suitable husband?"

Shikaku scowled. "Have you thought of um, an um…" Inoichi looked over to see that his friend was intoxicated. "Her dating a non-Shinobi?"

Inoichi shook his head. "No, it won't be good if she's the dominant one in the relationship." He eyed his friend. "No offense, or anything." He hoped his friend wasn't offended that he had slightly insulted Shikaku's relationship with Yoshino.

"Ehh," Shikaku murmured. "So, what do want then? You want my worthless son?"

Inoichi widened his eyes in surprise, and the grin on his face almost split his face in two. Thank God that his friend was intoxicated, or this might have never happened.

"Yes!" cried Inoichi. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, thank you Shikaku, thank you!" The blond ran out of the bar, clapping his hands and jumping wildly.

Shikaku seemed to ponder this for a few moments. "Shit," he sighed. "What have I done? This is a real pain."

* * *

Ino hated waking up in the morning, didn't enjoy it either when she had to stay up the night before on a mission with Kiba and Neji, and ended up getting home at dawn, thus sleeping in till nearly dusk the next day.

She looked out her window and saw the sky begin to pinken with the barely-visible sunset, as the clouds were beginning to invade the sky. She sighed. A whole day had nearly gone by.

Suddenly, her father burst into her bedroom, nearly jumping up and down.

"Ino, Ino!" Inoichi cried. "I waited all day to tell you this!"

"What, dad? What?" Ino replied, intrigued. Her father hadn't looked this excited since her mother started talking to him again.

"I got you a boyfriend!" the middle-aged man practically shrieked in excitement.

Ino's eyes widened. "Dad, did I ask you to find me a boyfriend?" she crossed her arms over her chest.

Inoichi's face fell. "W-what?"

Ino sighed. "Dad… no offense, but sometimes your judgment can be a little bad." She noticed the disappointed look on her father's face and added, "Is he a shinobi?"

Inoichi nodded his head. "Yeah, he's a shinobi. C'mon get dressed, we're meeting them in an hour."

"What?" Ino cried. "Dad, thirty minutes is not enough to get ready for a date!" She began scrambling around the room, throwing open her closet doors. "What to wear, what to wear, ohmigod Dad, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

He sighed. He could never win. "Dress nice," he added, walking out of her bedroom. "We're meeting them at the Namarata Restaurant downtown." It had taken a whole lot of convincing Shikaku to send his son and Inoichi's daughter to such a fancy restaurant, but Inoichi had wanted to set the mood.

Ino widened her eyes. "Ehh? Wow, dad, that's really fancy!" She leaped into her dad's arms for a hug.

He smiled and patted her on the head. Maybe this _was _a good idea after all.

After her father had exited her bedroom, Ino immediately ran to the closet. She raked through several dresses, and pulled out several different ones.

"Ugh," she moaned. "I have nothing to wear!"

Suddenly, from the corner of her eye she saw a familiar-looking figure walking outside her window. She ran to the window and pulled up the window, to see Shikamaru casually strolling down her street.

"Shika-_kun_!" she called, waving her hand.

The pineapple-haired boy looked up at her and gave her a half-wave, his hands in his pockets. "Oh, Ino."

"Come through the front door, yeah?" Ino commanded. "I need help with something!" She turned around and closed the window, giggling to herself. She imagined Shikamaru muttering "What a pain" underneath his breath.

A few moments later, Shikamaru had walked up the stairs and was in her bedroom.

"Yeah, Ino? What do you need?"

"Help me pick out dresses!" she threw various dresses at Shikamaru, and he caught them in surprise.

He scowled. "What a pain," he murmured.

Ino scoffed, "C'mon Shikamaru, this is important!"

"Why do you need dresses anyway?" Shikamaru said. "I'm sure they'd all look fine on you anyways.

"It's a _boy_!" Ino cried.

"A boy?" Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow. "Which one?"

Ino didn't want to seem like she didn't know who he was, or else Shikamaru would just scold her and say it didn't matter what she wore because what if he was ugly or not worth impressing so she said coyly, "Oh, he's a shinobi."

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. "Shinobi? Is it… Kiba?"

Ino imagined Kiba in a tux, winking at her from across the dinner table. She shuddered. "Um, no." She pulled one dress from Shikamaru's arms and cried, "Now help me!"

She walked into her closet with the dress and began stripping, feeling awkward, knowing that Shikamaru was right outside her closet in her bedroom. She pulled the dress over her head, and felt it fit her body. It was a tight, leather-inspired black number that hit her lower thigh and hugged every curve. She pulled her bra straps down and tucked them into the dress.

(This is the dress:  2010/06/19/cyrus/miley_cyrus_leather_ )

She threw open the closet door and twirled in front of him. "Well? What do you think?" Ino asked. She threw her hands in the air.

He looked her up and down, then looked away, blushing. Ino grinned. Good, the dress was good then.

She walked over to the mirror and widened her eyes. The dress fit her body perfectly, and made her boobs look twice was big as they actually were. It was perfect.

"I hate it." She spun around and looked at Shikamaru, who was struggling to make eye contact with her.

"W-what?" she sputtered. "But my boobs look fantastic!"

Shikamaru glanced at her chest quickly before forcing himself to look at her face.

"No guy wants to marry a girl like that," Shikamaru declared, still blushing madly. It hurt to talk.

_Control yourself, Shikamaru_, he thought, taking deep breaths. _You can do this… you are one of the most intelligent minds in all of Konoha, don't let yourself be controlled by your hormones. _

"What do you mean?" Ino was still confused.

He sighed. "What a pain," he muttered. He cleared his voice and said louder, "I mean, sure you look… _nice_. But, you also look kind of slutty. That dress has no class."

Ino fumed. "No class?" she repeated.

Shikamaru withdrew, slightly scared. "Yeah, I mean… guys would rather date classy girls than… non-classy ones." He chose his wording very carefully.

Ino sighed. "Fine." She pulled out a red dress from the pile Shikamaru was holding. She walked back into the closet.

Did she not look good in the previous dress? Was Shikamaru really not attracted to her? _No_, she decided. He was, he was blushing madly. She suppressed a giggle.

She tried on the next dress, a little red number, and walked out of the closet.

(This is the dress:  cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=42934575)

"So?" She walked straight to the mirror. It was a long-sleeved red dress, and looked way classier than the ones before. It hugged her curves, but wasn't as ostentatious.

Shikamaru felt himself blush again. _What a pain, _he thought. The dress was classier than before, but it was just as tight and showed just as much, if not more cleavage. He felt the blood rush downwards, and his heart began to race. Thank God he had the dresses on his lap to conceal anything that would cause him extra embarrassment, as if helping his friend try on dresses wasn't embarrassing enough.

"Ino," he began, struggling to speak. "It's nice, but I mean, you don't _have _to show off your… assets as much as you think. It's not like you have a lot to begin with anyway and-,"

"What?" Ino fumed, cutting him off. "What did you just say?"

He quickly cast his eyes aside. "Nothing, I just said you don't have to show off your assets as much-,"

"_No_, afterwards, you said I had no boobs or ass!"

"I didn't, I mean…" Shikamaru tried to think of words in his head. "I mean, umm… you don't have a lot in comparison to like, Lady Hokage, or Hinata or anything…"

He immediately slapped himself.

"WHAT?" Ino shrieked. "You notice Hinata's boobs? Oh my God, Nara Shikamaru, if Neji or your mother heard you-,"

"Uh uh uh here!" Shikamaru picked a random, classy-looking blue dress from the pile and threw it at Ino. "Try this on, um, I gotta go. My dad and I are going out to dinner. See ya."

He dropped the rest of the dresses on the bed and ran out the door. He ran downstairs to see Inoichi entering. _Shit, shit shit_, he thought.

"Oh, Shikamaru hello how are-,"

"Hi, Mr. Yamanaka, sorry I gotta go!" Shikamaru quickly covered his crotch, careful not to have Inoichi notice his um, _incident_.

Inoichi chuckled. Maybe those two _would _get along after all. He felt slightly proud of himself. Everything would work out, he was sure of it.

* * *

Thanks for reading!:) Please review!


	5. Surprises

Hey guys! I want to say sooo so so so so so sorry I haven't updated in so long!:) I want to thank you all for reviewing, and showing your interest in this story! Hehe here's the next chapter! If you guys have any ideas on how to make this story better, criticism, etc., please leave it in the review box!:) Thank you so much! And if I don't update for awhile again, feel free to check out some of my other stories in your spare time ^_^ There I go, shamelessly advertising. Anyway, ON WITH THE STORY!

* * *

Shikamaru shifted in his suit. "Ahh, _mendokuse_," he murmured his trademark line under his breath. Shikaku knew his son wouldn't agree to the idea of an arranged date by his father unless Mikoto badgered him for it. And so Shikamaru's mother nagged and nagged, for what seemed like forever until Shikamaru gave in. He also gave in when Mikoto dropped one of Shikaku's suits on her son's bed. Shikamaru figured it'd be too much of a pain to try to defy his mother again—it was easier to just give in. He had to pick his battles.

He scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Oi dad, are we really going to that fancy of a place?" He wrinkled his nose expectantly at his father. "How come you're not dressed up?"

Shikaku kept his face stoic. "'Cause I'm just going to drop you off. I'm going to leave right after the introductions are made." He shifted his eyes towards his son. "Unless you _want _me to stay for your date?"

His son widened his eyes for a second, before scowling. "_Mendokuse_." Suddenly, his eyes bugged out and he stopped walking, facing his father. "Dad, this date isn't with Inoichi-san's daughter, is it?"

Shikaku let out a sigh. "Took you long enough to figure out. Aren't you supposed to be the next 'Konoha Genius'?"

Shikamaru ignored his father's jibe. "I _can't _go on a date with Ino." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Really? You got me so dressed up for Ino?"

"What? She's probably going to be dressed up to the nines, right? You can't afford to look like a slummy kid next to her. You've got competition, kid."

He wrinkled his nose at his father. "Competition?" he repeated. They continued walking. "Like whom?"

Shikaku snorted, as if his son's question was ridiculous. "Nearly every hot-blooded male your age. Are you just worrying about Konoha? What about Suna, and all the other places she goes? You think the Konoha boys are the only attentive ones?" His son was quiet, so he continued, "Ino is a beautiful girl, she's smart, she's charming… there's no kid who would only look at her once."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Dad, can you not talk about her like that? It's kind of weird."

"I was just elaborating on my answer to your question. No need to get so touchy."

They were quiet on the rest of their journey. Shikamaru pondered his father's words. He _guessed _Ino was pretty. He and Chouji had already known that nearly a millennia before all the other boys their age figured it out, but he never saw her in _that _light. And of course she was smart. She _had _to be. She was at the top of their class at the Academy, but rightfully so. She was going to inherit the Yamanaka Clan one day, and she had to be prepared. She was also gifted in the Yamanaka special technique. He supposed she also had her way of getting things she wanted. She knew—and _he _knew—that with just a little bit brighter smile, flick of her hair, or pouted lips, she could get whatever she wanted.

Now that he thought of her like that, he knew his chance with her was absolutely hopeless. Who was he? A lazy, genius brat who would one day have to step up and inherit an entire clan. Sure he was smart—but what else did he have going for him? He was no Sasuke Uchiha—he didn't possess a powerful eye prowess, or have long, flowing black hair and a mysterious appeal to him like the Hyuuga either. Hell, Naruto probably had a better chance with Ino than he did because at least Naruto was the newly famed "Hero of Konoha".

Shikamaru Nara was hopeless.

* * *

Ino Yamanaka shifted in her seat. After Shikamaru had oddly fled from her house, she tried on the dress he recommended. She was upset when it turned out to look _beautiful _on her, because she was looking forward to telling Shikamaru later about how he had no sense in fashion and how he was only good for strategizing battles, but it turned out Shikamaru knew what looked good on her and what didn't.

She sat in the restaurant by herself, after shooing her father away, though he insisted he say. But she didn't want to meet her potential husband with her _father_, which was just weird. Looking around the restaurant, which was filled with the elite of Konoha, dressed in furs and pearls, she felt oddly out of place. Sure, she was part of one of the strongest clans, renowned for the InoShikaCho technique, but honestly she didn't feel upper class because of it.

The people that were dining at the restaurant she was at had an air to them that made them seem like they thought they were better than everyone else just because of their status. She sighed. That was the difference between Shinobi and civilians—civilians worshipped money and status, whereas no one, at least in the Konoha Eleven plus Sai, judged each other based on their statuses. No one saw Neji more of a ninja than Lee. Well, maybe they used to but times had changed. Maybe the rest of the world should've caught up too.

"Oi."

Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar, lazy drawl behind her. She slowly turned around, hoping it wasn't who she thought it was.

And there he was, Shikamaru Nara hair slicked back, looking like he was playing dress-up in his father's coat. Though the jacket was too big for his bony, child-like shoulders, she had to admit the look on him _worked_. His face was scrubbed clean and he worn a baby blue tie that matched her dress.

She inwardly smiled. He remembered the dress he picked out for her. She quickly washed her thoughts of "_awww_" away before scowling at him in surprise.

"Shika, what are you doing here?" A beat later she gasped, "Are you my _date_?"

Shikamaru sighed and took the seat across the table from her. "I guess our dads set us up." Somehow he seemed different—not just because he was dressed up, but something about his aura was different. He didn't seem like such a little kid anymore, or lazy… though he was relaxed, he seemed more… _attentive_.

"_You_¸ were the guy my dad was so excited for me to meet?" Ino threw his hands up in the air, ignoring the stares and whispers of the inhabitants of the restaurant.

"Oi, lower your voice woman. It's not the end of the world."

Ino scoffed. "I was expecting some hot, foreign shinobi with an amazing blood line, and then… _you _-," she spat out "you" like she was referring to last season's dress, "—_you_ show up with greasy hair and wearing your dad's jacket!"

Shikamaru resisted the self-conscious urge to touch his hair. It wasn't _greasy_. His dad said slicking it back with gel would look _nice. _He inwardly scowled. Shows him how much his dad knew about women.

"I'm sorry I don't live up to your insane expectations," he grumbled. After a few moments of silence, he quipped, "Though I _am _a shinobi with an amazing bloodline."

Ino let out a half-laugh half-scoff. Shikamaru allowed his lips to press in a loose smile. At least she wasn't all crazy now.

"Oh, by the way," Shikamaru reached under his seat. "My dad told me to give you this." He handed her a single red rose, held in a plastic wrapping. "Like, it's supposed to be romantic. Or something." He sank back in his chair, trying not to create an awkward environment.

Ino was taken aback. Of course, Shikaku had to tell his son to give her a rose, but still, she was touched by the gesture. She was going to thank him for the kind act but upon closer inspection of the rose cried, "Shikamaru, this is a flower from _our _shop!"

More people began staring.

Shikamaru slouched forwards and rested his cheek on his palm facing upwards. "So?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "You can't give me a flower from _my own shop_."

"Why not?"

"That's like giving you deer meat from your own selection of deers!"

"First of all, you'd have to get our clan's permission for that, which you wouldn't because slaughtering deer for meat is illegal. _Kami_, Ino, its _art_. Second, there's no such thing as 'deers', 'deer' in plural tense is the same as singular."

Their banter was interrupted when a waiter approached them. "Um, excuse me, sir and miss?" the waiter held a water jug and looked to be no older than him, though he spoke in a slightly snooty tone that reminded Shikamaru of Neji back in the old days. "We have received some complaints from other guests here about the noise level."

Ino reached for her purse, surprising Shikamaru. Normally, she would've attacked the waiter with her words, demanding to know _exactly who complained _and then batted her lashes at him afterwards—she had done it before. But instead, she stood up, rose in hand.

"We were just leaving," she said, abruptly. The waiter looked flustered.

"But you haven't ordered yet-,"

"It's fine. I know a better place to eat." Ino outstretched her hand towards Shikamaru. "C'mon Shika, let's go."

Shikamaru eyed her hand, and tentatively began lifting his hand out of his pocket when Ino impatiently grabbed his wrist. She turned towards the waiter adding, "Thank you for the free water, but you guys all suck here."

She dragged Shikamaru out. Shikamaru thought of turning around and apologizing to the poor guy for Ino's erratic behavior, but he decided in the end it was too troublesome.

After they exited the restaurant, pairs of nosy eyes following their trail, Shikamaru stopped in his tracks. "Ino, where are we going?"

Like it was a moment in a dream, Ino turned around, long blonde hair swishing in what seemed like slow-motion, beams of moonlight radiating off her porcelain face. Her round, blue orbs crinkled up and sparkled as she smiled. She outstretched her palm towards him again. "The best restaurant in town for a date, Shika," she grinned. "Ichiraku Ramen."

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There you go guys!:) Please review and tell me what you think! I'll give you guise all virtual ramen ^_^


	6. Shikamaru's Drabble

Sorry this is really short update! I'm procrastinating... I should be studying for a chem test tomorrow ugh.

Btw, CHAPTER 613... OMG OMG OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG I seriously was like ugh.

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Awkward felt almost tangible in the space between them. Actually, Shikamaru knew it _was _tangible. He could feel the awkward between sips of ramen broth and slurps of noodles, and he knew Ino could feel it too. How had things come to this? To escalate from "family friends" to "teammates" to "companions" to "closest friends" to "family" to… _whatever this was. _

He knew Ino as his teammate, as the one who always had his back. One who whined and shouted a little loudly, and was brash and cunning and flirty and liked to nag. Looking at her as… a _woman _made him unsure of how to treat her.

_Think, Shikamaru, think_, he prepared himself mentally. _You are Konoha's genius! You are a strategy man… just breathe. Just treat her like you've always treated her, right? That worked before, why not now?_

_Well the circumstances are different_, another voice in his head pointed out. _If she realizes that you're treating her like a friend when she wants something else, she won't forgive you for it_. He shuddered. He remembered the last time he had disappointed Ino quite well, and he hoped to never experience such a thing like that again.

The two finished their bowls of noodles in silence, until Ino let out a satisfying and feminine sigh, leaning back in her chair. "Thanks pops!" she called to Mr. Ichiraku. She picked her purse off of the back of her stool and tapped Shikamaru on the shoulder. "Shika will pick up the tab!"

Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow. _Pops_? Had she visited Ichiraku's enough to refer to Mr. Ichiraku as _"pops_"? And wait, _HE _was paying?

Grumbling under his breath, "it was her idea…" "she was the one who wanted to come here…" "I would've been fine eating at home…" and other variations of such, Shikamaru fumbled around in his father's jacket pocket to find bills. He paid Mr. Ichiraku, who winked at him.

"Have fun with your lady there. She's a catch!" he whispered.

Shikamaru nodded uneasily. "Y-yes sir," he stammered.

"Shika!" Ino waved at him from outside the shop impatiently. "C'mon, let's walk around town!"

He followed after her, stuffing his hands in his pants' pockets. They walked around in the middle of town for awhile—since it was nighttime, the streets were nearly empty, except for a few stray pedestrians who fluttered off to their homes or to a nearby bar.

Ino and Shikamaru walked side by side, their hands brushing against each other's every few seconds or so. Shikamaru felt a blush creeping onto his cheeks. What was going on? He wasn't the type to get embarrassed, or _nervous_ around girls, let alone Ino.

Suddenly, Ino stopped in her tracks and turned towards him. "Oi, Shikamaru." Her blue orbs met his chocolate brown ones.

He grunted in reply. "Hm?"

She intertwined her fingers with his. "Let's go to your favorite spot." She pulled him off into the direction that Shikamaru often found himself wandering to every day. His favorite spot—and she knew.

The rooftop where he would lay staring at clouds. Except it was nighttime, and there wouldn't be any clouds. Ino probably just wanted the privacy. She visited him sometimes, with and without Chouji, and sometimes they would just lay there in silence. She would nuzzle her head against his or Chouji's chest and fall asleep. He didn't mind. He felt content.

But why would she want to go there? For more privacy…?

Dirty thoughts immediately filled his mind.

If Ino knew, she would slap him. He thanked Kami that she didn't learn how to read minds yet.

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Sorry it's short. And kind of sucky, for lack of better words. Anyway, please review and let me know what you think! Check out my other stories if you haven't yet:)


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